Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
REFRIGERATOR
[0001] This application claims the priority of Chinese patent application No.
2018114372402 filed on November 28, 2018, entitled "REFRIGERATOR HAVING
SEPARATE ICE-MAKING SYSTEM".
FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of household appliances
technologies, and particularly to a refrigerator having a separate ice-making
system.
BACKGROUND
[0003] At present, an ice-making evaporator in the existing refrigerator is
typically
disposed in the ice-making chamber, and thus the effective area of the ice-
making
evaporator is still limited by the size of the ice-making chamber, and it
cannot match
the heat load demand of the ice maker well, thereby affecting the ice making
speed of
the ice maker. At the same time, the frost-reducing capacity of the ice-making
evaporator itself is also affected which requires frequent heating and
defrosting,
resulting in energy consumption loss and affecting the quality of ice cubes
stored in the
ice bucket.
SUMMARY
[0004] Technical problems to be solved
[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerator having
a separate
ice-making system capable of solving at least one of the technical problems in
the prior
art that the effective area of the ice-making evaporator is limited and the
ice-making
efficiency is affected since the ice-making evaporator in the existing
refrigerator is
typically disposed in the ice-making chamber.
[0006] Technical solutions
[0007] In order to solve the technical problems above, the present disclosure
provides a refrigerator having a separate ice-making system, comprising: a
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-06
refrigerating compartment and an ice-making chamber disposed inside the
refrigerating compartment, wherein an ice maker is arranged inside the ice-
making
chamber, the ice-making chamber is supplied with cold air by an ice-making
refrigeration system including an ice-making evaporator, an ice-making air
supply
duct, an ice-making fan and an ice-making air return duct, the ice-making air
supply
duct and the ice-making air return duct are arranged in parallel, the ice-
making
evaporator is disposed inside the refrigerating compartment and located
outside the
ice-making chamber, and the ice-making evaporator is in communication with the
ice
maker through the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making air return
duct to
form a refrigerating circulation loop.
[0008] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the refrigerator further
comprises
a refrigerating ice-making air duct disposed in the refrigerating compaitment,
the
refrigerating ice-making air duct includes an air duct front cover plate, air
duct foam,
and an air duct rear cover plate disposed in order from front to rear, wherein
the
ice-making air return duct is constructed between the air duct foam and the
air duct
rear cover plate, and the air duct front cover plate is disposed on an outer
side surface
of the rear side wall of a refrigerating compaitment liner.
[0009] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ice-making air supply
duct is
constructed between the air duct rear cover plate and the rear side wall of
the
refrigerating compartment liner, and the ice-making evaporator is installed in
the
ice-making air supply duct.
[0010] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the refrigerator further
comprises
a defrosting heating tube disposed below the ice-making evaporator and
proximal to
the outsides of the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making air return
duct.
[0011] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ice-making air supply
duct
and the ice-making air return duct are both located between the ice-making
evaporator
and the ice maker; the ice-making fan is disposed between the ice-making air
supply
duct and the ice-making air return duct through an ice-making fan base; an
ice-making inner air duct is constructed in the ice maker, and the ice-making
air
supply duct, the ice-making inner air duct and the ice-making air return duct
are
sequentially connected to form the refrigerating circulation loop.
[0012] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the refrigerator further
comprises
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a cover plate assembly disposed on a rear side of the ice maker and capable of
sealing
the inside of the ice maker, the cover plate assembly includes an ice maker
front cover
plate, ice maker back cover foam, and an ice maker rear cover plate disposed
in order
from front to rear; and the ice-making evaporator is mounted on an outer side
of the
rear side wall of the refrigerating compartment liner.
[0013] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the refrigerator further
includes a
refrigerating refrigeration system disposed in the refrigerating compartment,
the
refrigerating refrigeration system includes a refrigerating evaporator, a
refrigerating
air supply duct, a refrigerating fan, and a refrigerating air return duct,
wherein the
refrigerating air supply duct is constructed between the air duct foam and the
air duct
rear cover plate, the refrigerating fan directs cold air into the
refrigerating air supply
duct; and the refrigerating air return duct is constructed between the air
duct rear
cover plate and the rear side wall of the refrigerating compartment liner.
[0014] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the air duct front cover
plate and
the air duct rear cover plate are mounted on an outer side of the rear side
wall of the
refrigerating compartment liner by screws.
[0015] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the ice-making air
supply duct,
the air duct foam and the ice maker rear cover foam are engaged and sealed in
a
concave-convex manner by a first fitting surface; the air duct rear cover
plate and the
ice maker rear cover plate are lapped and sealed from front to rear and sealed
by a
second fitting surface; the air duct foam and the refrigerating compartment
liner are
sealed by a third fitting surface at the lower part; and the air duct rear
cover plate and
the refrigerating compaitment liner are fixedly sealed by a four fitting
surface through
a screw at the left side.
[0016] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the ice-making air
return duct,
the air duct foam and the ice maker rear cover foam are engaged and sealed in
a
concave-convex manner by a fifth fitting surface; the air duct foam and the
ice maker
rear cover plate are lapped and sealed by a sixth fitting surface; the air
duct rear cover
plate and the ice maker rear cover plate are lapped and sealed from front to
rear by a
seventh fitting surface; and the air duct rear cover plate and the
refrigerating
compartment liner are sealed by an eighth fitting surface through a sponge at
the right
side.
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[0017] Beneficial effects
[0018] Compared with the prior art, the following advantages are achieved
through
the refrigerator provided by the present disclosure:
100191 the cold air of the ice-making evaporator is introduced to the inside
of the ice
maker through the ice-making air supply duct by the ice-making fan and
exchanges
heat with the air in the ice maker after being transferred into the ice maker,
heat-exchanged cold air is introduced back to the inside of the ice-making
evaporator
by the ice-making air return duct and the heat exchange is repeated, and the
above
steps are executed cyclically.
100201 The arrangement of the ice-making fan can speed up the flow velocity of
cold air as well as the refrigerating circulation, thereby improving the
refrigerating
efficiency.
100211 In the present disclosure, since the ice-making evaporator is disposed
inside
the refrigerating compartment and located outside the ice-making chamber, a
defrosting heating tube described below in the ice-making evaporator is
disposed
distal from the ice-making chamber and an ice storage bucket in the ice-making
chamber by allowing both the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making air
return duct to be connected to the ice maker, and thus the heat transfer to
the
ice-making chamber during the heating and defrosting of the ice-making
evaporator,
especially the heat transfer into the ice storage bucket is reduced and ice
cubes in the
ice storage bucket are prevented from melting on the surfaces of the ice cubes
during
the heating and defrosting, thereby further effectively improving the ice-
making
efficiency.
100221 In addition, since the space in the refrigerating compartment is much
larger
than the space of the ice-making chamber, it is convenient to install the ice-
making
evaporator and increase the effective area of the ice-making evaporator, the
heat load
of the ice maker and the area of the ice-making evaporator are more rationally
matched, the ice-making speed of the ice maker is increased, the frost-
reducing
capacity of the ice-making evaporator is improved, the heating defrosting
frequency
of the ice-making evaporator is lowered, the energy consumption is reduced,
and the
surface quality of the ice cubes is improved.
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[0023] In the present disclosure, since the ice maker and an ice-making
evaporator are
disposed in the refrigerating compartment of the refrigerator respectively,
the cold air
is introduced into the inside of the ice maker in the ice-making chamber
through a
shorter ice-making air supply duct by an ice-making fan disposed at the back
of the ice-
making chamber for making ice, and thus the loss of cooling capacity is small
and the
ice-making efficiency is ensured.
[0024] In addition, since the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making
air return
duct in the present disclosure are arranged in parallel in the refrigerating
compartment,
the ice-making air supply duct and the ice-making air return duct can be made
thinner,
and thus the occupied space inside the refrigerating compartment of the
refrigerator can
be decreased and the available volume of the refrigerator can be increased.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the overall structure of a
refrigerator having
a separate ice-making system according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0026] Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing a general assembly explosion
structure of
a refrigerator having a separate ice-making system according to some
embodiments of
the present disclosure;
[0027] Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the back structure of Fig. 1;
[0028] Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the internal structure of the ice-
making air
return duct of Fig. 1;
[0029] Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the internal structure of the ice-
making air
supply duct of Fig. 1;
[0030] Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional structural view corresponding to
the ice-
making evaporator and the refrigerating evaporator of Fig. 1; and
[0030a] Fig. 7 is a partial enlarged view showing A of Fig. 4.
[0031] Description of the reference numbers
1 ice maker la ice-making inner air duct
2 ice-making evaporator 3 ice-making air supply duct
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-06
4 ice-making fan 5 ice-making air return duct
6 air duct front cover plate 7 air duct foam
8 air duct rear cover plate 9 refrigerating compartment liner
defrosting heating tube 11 cover plate assembly
111 ice maker front cover plate 112 ice maker rear cover foam
113 ice maker rear cover plate 12 refrigerating evaporator
13 refrigerating air supply duct 14 refrigerating fan
16 ice-making fan base 3-9-2 first fitting surface
5-10-2 second fitting surface 3-13-1 third fitting surface
5-13-1 fourth fitting surface 3-9-1 fifth fitting surface
3-10-1 sixth fitting surface 5-10-1 seventh fitting surface
5-13-2 eighth fitting surface
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
100321 The specific implementations of the present disclosure are further
described
in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. The
following
examples are intended to illustrate the disclosure, but are not intended to
limit the
scope of the disclosure.
100331 In the description of the present disclosure, it is to be noted that
unless
explicitly stated and defined otherwise, the terms "installed," "connected
with," and
"connected" shall be understood broadly, for example, it may be either fixedly
connected or detachably connected, or can be integrated; it may be
mechanically
connected, or electrically connected; it may be directly connected, or
indirectly
connected through an intermediate medium, or may be internal communication
between two elements. The specific meanings of the terms above in the present
disclosure can be understood by a person skilled in the art in accordance with
specific
conditions
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100341 Embodiment 1:
100351 As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the refrigerator is schematically shown to
include a
refrigerating compartment and an ice-making chamber disposed inside the
refrigerating compartment. Of course, in the interior of the refrigerator,
there may be
compartments such as a freezing compattment and a temperature-changing
compartment. The specific form of the refrigerator is not specifically
limited, and may
be a cross-door refrigerator having a refrigerating compartment above and two
compartments below, and the like.
100361 An ice maker 1 is disposed inside the ice-making chamber which is
supplied
with cold air by an ice-making refrigeration system including an ice-making
evaporator 2, an ice-making air supply duct 3, an ice-making fan 4 and an ice-
making
air return duct 5, the ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-making air
return duct 5
are arranged in parallel, the ice-making evaporator 2 is disposed inside the
refrigerating compartment and located outside the ice-making chamber, and the
ice-making evaporator 2 is in communication with the ice maker 1 through the
ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-making air return duct 5 to form a
refrigerating circulation loop. As shown in this embodiment, the cold air of
the
ice-making evaporator 2 is introduced into the inside of the ice maker 1
through the
ice-making air supply duct 3 by the ice-making fan 4 and exchanges heat with
the air
in the ice maker 1 after being transferred to the ice maker 1, heat-exchanged
cold air
is introduced back to the inside of the ice-making evaporator 2 by the ice-
making air
return duct 5 and the heat exchange is repeated, and the above steps are
executed
cyclically.
[0037] The arrangement of the ice-making fan 4 can speed up the flow velocity
of
cold air as well as the refrigerating circulation, thereby improving the
refrigerating
efficiency.
100381 In the present disclosure, the ice-making evaporator 2 disposed in the
refrigerating compartment and located outside the ice-making chamber is
connected
to the ice maker 1 through both the ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-
making
air return duct 5, and a defrosting heating tube 10 described below in the ice-
making
evaporator 2 is disposed distal from the ice-making chamber and an ice storage
bucket
in the ice-making chamber, and thus the heat transfer to the ice-making
chamber
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during the heating and defrosting of the ice-making evaporator 2, especially
the heat
transfer into the ice storage bucket is reduced and ice cubes in the ice
storage bucket
are prevented from melting on the surfaces of the ice cubes during the heating
and
defrosting, thereby further effectively improving the ice-making efficiency.
[0039] In addition, since the space in the refrigerating compartment is much
larger
than the space of the ice-making chamber 2, it is convenient to install the
ice-making
evaporator 2 and increase the effective area of the ice-making evaporator 2,
the heat
load of the ice maker 1 and the area of the ice-making evaporator 2 are more
rationally matched, the ice-making speed of the ice maker 1 is increased, the
frost-reducing capacity of the ice-making evaporator 2 is improved, the
heating
defrosting frequency of the ice-making evaporator 2 is lowered, the energy
consumption is reduced, and the surface quality of the ice cubes is improved.
[0040] In the present disclosure, since the ice maker 1 and the ice-making
evaporator 2 are disposed in the refrigerating compartment of the refrigerator
respectively, the cold air is introduced into the inside of the ice maker 1 in
the
ice-making chamber through a shorter ice-making air supply duct 3 by an ice-
making
fan 4 disposed at the back of the ice-making chamber for making ice, and thus
the loss
of cooling capacity is small and the ice-making efficiency is ensured.
[0041] In addition, since the ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-making
air
return duct 5 in the present disclosure are arranged in parallel in the
refrigerating
compartment, the ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-making air return
duct 5
can be made thinner, and thus the occupied space inside the refrigerating
compartment
of the refrigerator can be decreased and the available volume of the
refrigerator can be
increased.
[0042] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the positions of the ice-
making
air supply duct 3 and the ice-making air return duct 5 may be interchanged.
That is,
the ice-making air supply duct 3 can be located on the left side of the ice-
making air
return duct 5 and can also be located on the right side of the ice-making air
return duct
5.
[0043] As shown in Figs 1 and 2, for further optimizing the refrigerator, the
refrigerator, on the basis of the above technical solution, further comprises
a
refrigerating ice-making air duct disposed in the refrigerating compartment,
the
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refrigerating ice-making air duct includes an air duct front cover plate 6,
air duct foam
7, and an air duct rear cover plate 8 disposed in order from front to rear,
wherein an
ice-making air return duct 5 is constructed between the air duct foam 7 and
the air
duct rear cover plate 8, and the air duct front cover plate 6 is disposed on
an outer side
surface of the rear side wall of a refrigerating compartment liner 9. As can
be seen, the
refrigerating ice-making air duct may be shared by a refrigerating air supply
duct 13,
a refrigerating air return duct, the ice-making air supply duct 3, and the ice-
making air
return duct 5 as described below. This greatly improves the versatility
between the
structural members, saves both installation space and raw materials, and
reduces the
difficulty of the manufacturing process.
[00441 It should be noted that the left and right sides and the lower sides of
the
ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-making air return duct 5 of the
present
disclosure can be fixed by the air duct rear cover plate 8 and the
refrigerating
compartment liner 9. The upper sides of the ice-making air supply duct 3 and
the
ice-making air return duct 5 can be fixed by the ice maker rear cover plate
113 as
described below so as to realize the sealing between the ice-making air supply
duct 3
and the ice-making air return duct 5 in the ice-making refrigeration system
and the
refrigerating compartment, thereby preventing the cold air in the ice-making
refrigeration system from entering the refrigerating compartment. Further, it
is
avoided to affect the normal temperature in the refrigerating compartment and
ensure
the normal operation of the refrigerating compartment.
100451 As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, in one embodiment of the present disclosure,
the
ice-making air supply duct 3 is constructed between the air duct rear cover
plate 8 and
the rear side wall of the refrigerating compartment liner 9, and the ice-
making
evaporator 2 is installed in the ice-making air supply duct 3. As can be seen,
an air
cavity is formed between the air duct rear cover plate 8 and the rear side
wall of the
refrigerating compartment liner 9, and the ice-making air supply duct 3 is a
part of the
air cavity. By disposing the ice-making evaporator 2 in the ice-making air
supply duct
3, it is possible to facilitate direct and rapid transport of the cold air
inside the
ice-making evaporator 2 into the ice maker 1 inside the ice-making chamber
through
the ice-making air supply duct 3, such that the water in the ice trays of the
ice maker
is rapidly converted into all-solid ice cubes, thereby greatly improving the
ice-making
efficiency.
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100461 As shown in Fig. 3, for further optimizing the refrigerator in the
above
technical solution, the refrigerator, on the basis of the above technical
solution, further
comprises a defrosting heating tube 10 disposed below the ice-making
evaporator 2
and proximal to the outsides of the ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-
making
air return duct 5. It should be noted that, during the defrosting operation,
the heat of
the defrosting heating tube 10 can be simultaneously transmitted to the ice-
making air
inlet duct 3 and the ice-making air return duct 5 for defrosting, thereby
avoiding the
case that the ice blockage of the ice-making air return duct 5 occurs.
100471 In addition, since the ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-making
air
return duct 5 are arranged in parallel, the sealing fitting surfaces with the
ice maker 1
are effectively reduced, so that the sealing structure is more simple and
reliable.
100481 As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, in another embodiment of the
present
disclosure, the ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-making air return
duct 5 are
both located between the ice-making evaporator 2 and the ice maker 1.
100491 The ice-making fan 4 is disposed between the ice-making air supply duct
3
and the ice-making air return duct 5 through the ice-making fan base 16. The
arrangement of the ice-making fan base 16 can improve the fixing strength and
the
fixing stability of the ice-making fan 4, and prevent the ice-making fan 4
from falling.
100501 An ice-making inner air duct la is constructed in the ice maker 1, and
the
ice-making air supply duct 3, the ice-making inner air duct la and the ice-
making air
return duct 5 are sequentially in communication with each other and form the
refrigerating circulation loop. In this way, the cold air can be continuously
transferred
to the inside of the ice maker 1 to exchange heat with the air in the ice
maker 1, so
that the purpose of cooling the interior of the ice maker 1 is achieved, and
the water in
the ice trays of the ice maker 1 may be rapidly converted into all-solid ice
cubes,
thereby improving the ice-making efficiency.
100511 As shown in Fig. 2, for further optimizing the refrigerator in the
above
technical solution, the refrigerator, on the basis of the above technical
solution, further
comprises a cover plate assembly 11 disposed on a rear side of the ice maker 1
and
capable of sealing the inside of the ice maker 1, the cover plate assembly 11
includes
an ice maker front cover plate 111, ice maker back cover foam 112, and an ice
maker
rear cover plate 113 disposed in order from front to rear. It should be noted
that the ice
CA 3068650 2020-02-11
maker front cover plate 111, the ice maker back cover foam 112, and the ice
maker
rear cover plate 113 can be fastened into a whole by screws, and then
integrally
mounted at the rear side of the ice maker 1, thereby realizing the sealing of
the
interior of the ice maker 1.
[0052] The ice-making evaporator 2 is mounted on the outer side surface of the
rear
side wall of the refrigerating compartment liner 9. As can be seen, the ice-
making
evaporator 2 can be fixedly mounted on the outer side surface of the rear side
wall of
the refrigerating compartment liner 9 by a fastener such as a screw.
[0053] As shown in Fig. 2, in another embodiment, the refrigerator is further
schematically shown to further include a refrigerating refrigeration system
disposed in
the refrigerating compartment, the refrigerating refrigeration system includes
a
refrigerating evaporator 12, a refrigerating air supply duct 13, a
refrigerating fan 14,
and a refrigerating air return duct, wherein the refrigerating air supply duct
13 is
constructed between the air duct foam 7 and the air duct rear cover plate 8,
the
refrigerating fan 14 directs cold air into the refrigerating air supply duct
13. The
refrigerating refrigeration system is configured to refrigerate in the
refrigerating
compartment so as to ensure that the temperature of the refrigerating
compartment can
be kept constant at all times, and the temperature in the refrigerating
compartment can
be 5 degrees above zero.
[0054] Thus it can be seen, the refrigerating refrigeration system for
refrigerating in
the refrigerating compartment according to the present disclosure and the ice-
making
refrigeration system for refrigerating in the ice maker 1 are independent of
each other
and two separate refrigeration systems that are not communicated. Therefore,
in the
process of making ice, the temperature in the refrigerating compartment is not
affected at all, and the normal use of the refrigerating compartment can be
ensured.
[0055] A refrigerating air return duct is constructed between the air duct
rear cover
plate 8 and the rear side wall of the refrigerating compartment liner 9. That
is, the
refrigerating air return duct is a part of the air cavity constituted by the
rear side wall
of the refrigerating compartment liner 9 and the air duct rear cover plate 8.
[0056] In one embodiment, the air duct front cover plate 6 and the air duct
rear cover
plate 8 are mounted on an outer side of the rear side wall of the
refrigerating
compartment liner 9 by screws. That is, the air duct front cover plate 6 and
the air duct
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rear cover plate 8 are detachably connected and fastened to the outer side
surface of
the rear side wall of the refrigerating compartment liner 9 by screws or
rivets.
[0057] As shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, in an embodiment of the present
disclosure, in
the ice-making air supply duct 3, the air duct foam 7 and the ice maker rear
cover
plate foam 112 are engaged and sealed in a concave-convex manner by a first
fitting
surface 3-9-2.
[0058] The air duct rear cover plate 8 and the ice maker rear cover plate 113
are
lapped and sealed from front to rear by a second fitting surface 5-10-2.
100591 The air duct foam 7 and the refrigerating compartment liner 9 are
sealed at
the lower part by a third fitting surface 3-13-1.
[0060] The air duct rear cover plate 8 and the refrigerating compartment liner
9 are
fixedly sealed by a fourth fitting surface 5-13-1 through a screw at the left
side.
100611 In another embodiment, in the ice-making air return duct 5, the air
duct foam
7 and the ice maker front cover plate foam 112 are engaged and sealed in a
concave-convex manner by a fifth fitting surface 3-9-1.
100621 The air duct foam 7 and the ice maker rear cover plate 113 are lapped
and
sealed by a sixth fitting surface 3-10-1.
[0063] The air duct rear cover plate 8 and the ice maker rear cover plate 113
are
lapped and sealed from front to rear by a seventh fitting surface 5-10-1.
100641 The air duct rear cover plate 8 and the refrigerating compartment liner
9 are
sealed by an eighth fitting surface 5-13-2 through a sponge at the right side.
[0065] It should be noted that the formation of the fourth fitting surface 5-
13-1 can
effectively prevent the cold air in the ice-making refrigeration system from
entering
the refrigerating air supply duct 13 and resulting in frosting of the cold
storage
evaporator 12.
100661 The formation of the eighth fitting surface 5-13-2 can prevent cold air
from
entering the refrigerating compartment, and further prevent the temperature in
the
refrigerating compartment from being too low to make the temperature of the
refrigerating compartment cannot be maintained within an appropriate range,
thereby
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affecting the normal operation of refrigerating compartment.
100671 It should be noted that the above-mentioned first to eighth fitting
surfaces
5-13-2 are formed in order to seal and prevent leakage of cold air, that is,
prevent the
cold air from exchanging and mixing between the refrigerating refrigeration
system
and the ice-making refrigeration system. At the same time, the case that the
leakage of
cold air to the outside of the refrigerator is prevented. In this way, the ice-
making
efficiency is greatly improved and the cooling efficiency in the refrigerating
compartment of the refrigerator is effectively ensured.
[0068] In sum up, the cold air of the ice-making evaporator 2 is introduced to
the
inside of the ice maker 1 through the ice-making air supply duct 3 by the ice-
making
fan 4 and exchanges heat with the air in the ice maker 1 after being
transferred into
the ice maker 1, heat-exchanged cold air is introduced back to the inside of
the
ice-making evaporator 2 by the ice-making air return duct 5 and the heat
exchange is
repeated, and the above steps are executed cyclically.
[0069] The arrangement of the ice-making fan 4 can speed up the flow velocity
of
cold air as well as the refrigerating circulation, thereby improving the
refrigerating
efficiency.
[00701 In the present disclosure, since the ice-making evaporator 2 is
disposed inside
the refrigerating compartment and located outside the ice-making chamber, a
defrosting heating tube 10 described below in the ice-making evaporator 2 is
disposed
distal from the ice-making chamber and an ice storage bucket in the ice-making
chamber by allowing both the ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-making
air
return duct 5 to be connected to the ice maker 1, and thus the heat transfer
to the
ice-making chamber during the heating and defrosting of the ice-making
evaporator 2,
especially the heat transfer into the ice storage bucket is reduced and ice
cubes of the
ice storage bucket are prevented from melting on the surfaces of the ice cubes
during
the heating and defrosting, thereby further effectively improving the ice-
making
efficiency.
[00711 In addition, since the space in the refrigerating compaitment is much
larger
than the space of the ice-making chamber 2, it is convenient to install the
ice-making
evaporator 2 and increase the effective area of the ice-making evaporator 2,
the heat
load of the ice maker 1 and the area of the ice-making evaporator 2 are more
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rationally matched, the ice-making speed of the ice maker 1 is increased, the
frost-reducing capacity of the ice-making evaporator 2 is improved, the
heating
defrosting frequency of the ice-making evaporator 2 is lowered, the energy
consumption is reduced, and the surface quality of the ice cubes is improved.
[0072] In the present disclosure, since the ice maker 1 and an ice-making
evaporator
2 are disposed in the refrigerating compartment of the refrigerator
respectively, the
cold air is introduced into the inside of the ice maker 1 in the ice-making
chamber
through a shorter ice-making air supply duct 3 by an ice-making fan 4 disposed
at the
back of the ice-making chamber for making ice, and thus the loss of cooling
capacity
is small and the ice-making efficiency is ensured.
[0073] In addition, since the ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-making
air
return duct 5 in the present disclosure are arranged in parallel in the
refrigerating
compartment, the ice-making air supply duct 3 and the ice-making air return
duct 5
can be made thinner, and thus the occupied space inside the refrigerating
compartment
of the refrigerator can be decreased and the available volume of the
refrigerator can be
increased.
[0074] The embodiments above are only the preferred embodiments of the present
disclosure, and are not intended to limit the disclosure. Any modifications,
equivalent
substitutions, improvements, etc., which are within the spirit and principles
of the
present disclosure, should be included in the protection scope of the present
disclosure.
14
CA 3068650 2020-02-11
